Alaska inside passage.

[scoobiecruiser]

We are planning a trip to Alaska next September and we would like to know how the weather is? And what kind of excursions are fun to do?This will be our first trip to Alaska. Does anyone have some good ideas?:confused:

[TracieABD]

I cannot speak to the weather... You know how that goes--- could be snowy, could be rainy, could be cold or warm.

 

We have done dog sledding in Juneau and I loved it.

We did a float plane and I was not a fan.

Loved the whale and otter watching.

Did not love the train ride on White's Pass, but loved the bike ride in Sitka.

 

It really depends on your tastes. I would rather be moving and doing than sitting and watching.

 

Also, you may want to check the boards for the specific ports. You can get lots of great info there!

[senior lady]

We are planning a trip to Alaska next September and we would like to know how the weather is? And what kind of excursions are fun to do?This will be our first trip to Alaska. Does anyone have some good ideas?:confused:

why the "thumbs" down sign????

[TracieABD]

why the "thumbs" down sign????

I suspect that the poster thought that this was a question mark instead of a thumbs down. Happens occasionally...;)

[2little time]

We are planning a trip to Alaska next September and we would like to know how the weather is? And what kind of excursions are fun to do?This will be our first trip to Alaska. Does anyone have some good ideas?:confused:

We were there in September and the weather was cool. Plan on long sleeved shirts and things you can layer. I had a polar fleece jacket and was fine. It is of course cold on the sea than on land. We had little rain and no snow. I hope you are doing a land tour to Denali, It is spectacular. As far as excursions, the White Pass Summitt railroad and Mendenhall glacier helicopter trips were wonderful. I would also recommend the whale watching.

[scoobiecruiser]

Sorry did not know that was a thumbs down sign. I'm new at all of this,not a expert like you are.

[Coral]

If you can, I would recommend going earlier in the season. Weather can get pretty ugly mid-September.

[TracieABD]

Sorry did not know that was a thumbs down sign. I'm new at all of this,not a expert like you are.

No harm, no foul...

an innocent mistake! I have seen this happen many times.:)

[Sea and Me]

We have been to Alaska twice. Once in '07 from San Francisco doing the inside passage and again last Sept. on the Diamond Princess leaving from Whittier. We experienced good weather both times. In Sept. it rained one day and didn't last long. The temps. were warm and being from Pittsburgh the 50s is warm to us:D We enjoyed both cruises but if I had to choose one I'd do the one that includes Glacier Bay and Skagway. We did a tour by bus in Skagway that was great. The tour guide did a wonderful job. He stopped for pictures (one thing you can't do on the train ride) and his knowledge of Skagway was terrific.

The '07 cruise we went to Mendenhall glacier but it cannot compare to Glacier Bay IMO. We also did a ducky tour in Ketchikan which was great. I'm sure there will be others to tell you their ideas. You will not be disappointed in Alaska!! It is an awesome place!! Enjoy your cruise.

Carol

[Coral]

No harm, no foul...

an innocent mistake! I have seen this happen many times.:)

 

This does happen a lot. I wish they would remove the thumbs down as it must look like a question mark in certain browsers.

[scoobiecruiser]

First of all I want everyone to know that I am new to this website and do make mistakes sometimes and I made one today with the sign thumbs down and I'm sorry if I offended anyone.Just love cruising and want to get some ideas on trips and I found out this was a fun place to get news;so here I'm asking for some ideas on a cruise to Alaska next September.Wanted to know about the weather,and what to do,and also get some ideas on Victoria?What is there to do at night;since the ship will be pulling in at night? Will take all the ideas anyone has. Thanks again everyone>:)

[TracieABD]

This does happen a lot. I wish they would remove the thumbs down as it must look like a question mark in certain browsers.

From your fingers to the moderator's eyes!

Maybe they are listening...:)

[Coral]

First of all I want everyone to know that I am new to this website and do make mistakes sometimes and I made one today with the sign thumbs down and I'm sorry if I offended anyone.Just love cruising and want to get some ideas on trips and I found out this was a fun place to get news;so here I'm asking for some ideas on a cruise to Alaska next September.Wanted to know about the weather,and what to do,and also get some ideas on Victoria?What is there to do at night;since the ship will be pulling in at night? Will take all the ideas anyone has. Thanks again everyone>:)

 

Welcome!

 

You may want to look at the Alaskan portion of CC:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=55

[mr green]

We are planning a trip to Alaska next September and we would like to know how the weather is? And what kind of excursions are fun to do?This will be our first trip to Alaska. Does anyone have some good ideas?:confused:

 

We did a B2B in Sept, 14 days, 13 with rain. Also it gets dark early.

 

john

[IndyBarb]

The weather is unpredictable. We went this September (SB on the Diamond Princess--cruise starting on 09/10) and had terrific weather except for the last day of the cruise. We booked all of our cruise excursions through Princess. In Skagway, we did the Yukon Expedition & White Pass Railroad (train & bus) which we loved. In Juneau, we did the Whales, Bears, and Glaciers--which was fabulous. Small group of 8. In Ketchikan, we did the Misty Fjords Wilderness Cruise/Fly which we didn't enjoy as much as everything else. If we were to do it again, we would have just taken the float plane and not done the boat portion. This is the link of my Panraven album.

http://www.panraven.com/storyviewer/StoryViewer.html?storyId=221480

[chipmaster]

Days are shorter and its the end of the season, weather won't be as nice and you should prepare for rain and clouds all trip, but again it could be great too.

 

Things like salmon fishing, dog sledding will surely be over. Other things like bears will be higher probability.

 

I don't agree with one poster who says "snow," yes its Alaska but probability of real snow is low in sept.

 

That said here was how weather was for us in Glacier Bay and College Fjord a decade plus ago, of course we had a huge storm in Skagway that made it so bad we barely even ate dinner and my wife who has sea stomach was total sick, YMMV

 

As to excursions what works is what meets your budget and your interest.

 

We are planning a trip to Alaska next September and we would like to know how the weather is? And what kind of excursions are fun to do?This will be our first trip to Alaska. Does anyone have some good ideas?:confused:

[Keith1010]

We are planning a trip to Alaska next September and we would like to know how the weather is? And what kind of excursions are fun to do?This will be our first trip to Alaska. Does anyone have some good ideas?:confused:

 

One never can be certain of the weather. September can be rainy so you may have a good deal of rain while you are in port but that is not always the case.

The key is to layer.

 

Could you list out which ports you are visiting on this itinerary as all itineraries are not the same?

 

Keith

[senior lady]

we went the end of July and had fantastic weather. Was probably in the low 70's most of the trip. Came home from Alaska with a tan:D

[HRPro]

As far as excursions, definitely whalewatching in Juneau and combine with trip to Mendenhall glacier; in Skagway, we loved the train; and Ketchikan, I'd do the flightseeing tour to Misty Fjords, which still gives you time to walk around and see the sights in town.

[markpark]

I've been checking web cams and the last few days is when Skagway and Juneau got their first snowfall. I agree with the advise to include Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier in your itinerary. Vancouver has better scenery than Seattle but is more expensive to embark from.

 

Our largest $ splurge was the train in Skagway and we were still quite satisfied with our cruise. All towns are enjoyable for just a walking tour. Look for the thread "Ten Best Things I did on my Alaska cruise." There are some good ideas there.

[hexdragon]

As far as excursions, definitely whalewatching in Juneau and combine with trip to Mendenhall glacier; in Skagway, we loved the train; and Ketchikan, I'd do the flightseeing tour to Misty Fjords, which still gives you time to walk around and see the sights in town.

An alternative in Skagway is to drive the Klondike Highway. It is still just as gorgeous and a heck of a lot cheaper than the train (especially if it is more than two of you)

 

For Ketchikan I took a boat ride to Misty Fjords. We stopped at New Eddystone Rock and saw many eagles in the trees. To see Rudyard Bay from sea level with the cliffs towering over you....

 

As far as the weather.... We went the last week of August/first week September. It was sunny in Vancouver and the first/last sea day. It clouded over as we headed north. We got a day or two of rain. We were told that the previous two weeks were solid rain and gusting winds... So you are at the mercy of Mother Nature. It depends what mood she is in....

[1of4]

We went the end of August 2011 and had good weather with 2 days of mist. But we are from Ontario Canada so we found people from the souther USA were not prepared for the temperatures. We had our early spring/late fall jackets and were fine but others had been told to bring "winter" clothes, which they did but it was for winter in Texas or Arizona which was not warm enough for Alaska, especially for glacier viewing outside on deck.

 

I also read on a few boards here on CC where the end of season cruises this year (2011) were hit with a violent storm that blew in from across the ocean. Ports were missed and the ships were pitched about when in open areas; some stayed in port for a few days just to stay safe. If you are okay with this type of change to the cruise then September would be a great time to go.

 

We found that absolutely everything was on sale, whether you were looking to shop or not! Our 10 year old daughter found port days were like trick or treating as every shop wanted to give her something...of course thinking her parents would buy more. But the free stuff the last week of August was astonishing. So you can plan to buy fleece jackets, hats, mitts, etc while in Alaska.

 

Our cruise left from Vancouver as I didn't want the Victoria stop. That is just an trip decision. We did a private tour with Beyond Skagway out of Skagway and it was the highlight of our trip as you can customize it to your interests. We went through the White Pass to Emerald Lake and had a picnic along a Yukon beach and went geo caching in the Carcross desert in short sleeves.

 

Don't be disappointed in weather. It is part of the experience. You will love it if you layer your clothes and are prepared for some rain.

[Teacher_91]

<<Look for the thread "Ten Best Things I did on my Alaska cruise." There are some good ideas there.>>

 

Would love to read this thread. Does anyone have link? Thanks! :)

[markpark]

<<Look for the thread "Ten Best Things I did on my Alaska cruise." There are some good ideas there.>>

 

Would love to read this thread. Does anyone have link? Thanks! :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1351539

[Goldiedog]

We did a 14 day cruise tour on HAL Zandaam from 5th September this year starting at Fairbanks and boarding the ship in Seward.

We mainly did Denali because at this time of the year the autumn colours are amazing and my husband's hobby is photography, we were not disappointed.

We had amazing weather, only one day of rain, not tea shirt weather, but we never felt cold. We loved this cruise tour, did the White Pass Railway, unfortunately thick fog, so we did not see anything, Kenai Ffjord, Mendalsham Glacier. One of our main highlights was spending a few days in Vancouver where it was very hot, we took a float plain to Victoria Island and the ferry back, Victoria is an amazing place, next time we will spend 2 or 3 days there.

We also got the chair lift up Grouse Mountain and spent most of the day up there, fantastic views, especially if you want to see Vancouver at night. A tip for anybody going up the mountain, we got a taxi ($35 dollars) there but on the return (after6.00pm) you can get a bus back to Vancouver, which then goes on the ferry back to the city, this cost us less than $2 !! as we are seniors, but still would on,y cost a couple of dollars more if you were younger. You can also go by this route rather than a taxi as we did.

Overall we had amazing weather on our 14 days in September, when our ship left on the 18th September along with a few others to go back to Seward, they had the worst storms ever and had to miss some of the ports, so it depends on your luck with the weather. Apparently, this year, they had really bad weather in August.